Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

11 years ago I suffered a traumatic brain injury after my horse fell on me. My accident happened shortly after Christopher Reeve’s fall during an eventing tournament. I found it very disturbing to learn of his death because our accidents were so similar. I was 16 at the time, and after my accident I couldn’t remember most of my childhood, I didn’t have short-term memory, and I had numerous other complications such as being at a third grade math level and not being able to write. Emotionally I was non-existent. I would dream for hours after I woke up.

As crazy as it sounds I only missed a few weeks of school. I was so “out of it” that I couldn’t comprehend my own physical pain or lack of cognition. I literally wandered the halls of my high school like a zombie and half the time I didn’t know what I was doing. I never should have been allowed back that early on in my recovery, but I lacked a healthy family to help me through this time, and they were oblivious to my condition and just thought I was rather quiet.

I did not receive any therapy or counseling, though I did manage to receive some tutoring to help me recover my academics. Most of my complications resolved themselves throughout the first year or so after my injury. Although I managed to graduate from high school on time, and then go on to recieve an undergraduate degree (from Purdue Univeristy thank you very much) I struggled socially and emotionally. Since I lost most of my childhood memories I lacked social context and didn’t have a sense of humor for several years. My emotional recovery was the most difficult aspect of my injury because the complications lasted the longest…

Eleven years later the world still feels new to me. I came so close to losing my life at such a young age that I can’t help but try to enjoy each day to the fullest. There is life after TBI, it just means that there are many, many changes to learn to live with. Sometimes these changes are permanent, others are temporary, but perseverance and hard work will go a long way in reclaiming your life back. Some things don’t have to change - I still ride horses and thank God every day that I’m alive.